THE FOXTAIL MILLETS 



341 



glumes, so that the head appears to be dark red in color. 

 Gooseneck, a variety with large heads borne on a recurved 

 peduncle, so that the head is drooping instead of erect, has 

 been widely recommended for sirup production in the South. 

 It is late in maturing and is 

 inferior to Sumac for the pro- 

 duction of forage. 



THE FOXTAIL MILLETS 



433. Origin and Description. 



The term " millet," as already 

 noted (Sec. 335), is applied to a 

 number of annual grasses, even 

 the sorghums being known by 

 this name in some countries. In 

 the present discussion it is 

 applied particularly to what is 

 known as the foxtail millets, 

 Chaetochloa italica. This plant 

 has long been cultivated in China 

 and other portions of Asia, where 

 it is used as food grain as well 

 as forage. It is probable that 

 the original type is a native of 

 southeastern Asia, though some 

 botanists hold the opinion that 

 all the varieties have been de- 

 veloped from the common foxtail, Chaetochloa viridis, which 

 grows wild generally throughout the North Temperate 

 zone. The foxtail millets are annual plants with fibrous 

 roots and slender stems, usually growing from 3 to 4 feet 

 high. The inflorescence is a close spike, from 4 to 8 inches 

 long. The spikelets are one-flowered, with bristles at the 



Fig. 106. The compact pan- 

 icle of Sumac sorghum, a popu- 

 lar variety in the South. 



